Eight Shutdown Decisions Gov. MLG Should Consider Reversing Right Now

In terms of her handling of the virus, the Rio Grande Foundation has been broadly supportive of Gov. Lujan Grisham and her efforts to address the ongoing crisis created by the Virus. We remain concerned about the economic situation New Mexico faces in the short, intermediate, and long terms, but understand (if we don’t always agree) with her handling of a nearly unprecedented situation.

That being said, some of the Gov.’s specific shutdown orders have questionable merits in terms of applying guidelines across various industries. We believe the following are unnecessary limiting to both personal freedom and needlessly preclude innovation on the part of business owners or others involved in maintaining parts of a functioning economy without unnecessarily endangering public health. Several of these recommendations have the added benefit of generating precious tax dollars for state/local governments and keeping workers employed.

Reopen medical facilities to elective and outpatient medical procedures. Hospitals are reporting revenue declines of between 40 and 60%. This doesn’t even include dentists, eye doctors, and other health providers who seen their businesses shuttered and the patients who have no access to care.

New Mexico’s 35 state parks have been shut down. Most outdoor activities involve social distancing at least beyond the 6 foot limit considered safe by medical professionals. Plus, with limited exercise and recreational options it would seem that some innovative solutions to get New Mexicans outside in a safe manner would be helpful.

Golf courses are a great form of social distancing. Limits could be placed on various aspects of the game (such as the use of carts and the presence of flags and rakes), but golf is another recreational opportunity that appears to be unnecessarily precluded in the current situation.

Nurseries should be free to open up provided they maintain social distancing guidelines. Planting flowers and gardening should be encouraged, not hindered during this difficult time.

Gun stores should be allowed to remain open. This is not the time for the Gov. to use a crisis to implement anti-gun efforts unilaterally. Gun shops should be allowed to open if they maintain social distancing guidelines.

Liquor stores have been shuttered while grocery stores remain open and are selling liquor. This makes no sense and has actually made shopping for groceries more difficult (and crowded) due to social distancing guidelines in place.

Restaurants that can comply with social distancing guidelines should be able to do so in a manner similar to grocery stores. They should also be allowed to sell and deliver liquor as part of their services during this crisis.

You would thank that a Governor that really cares about the Great People New Mexico, would support small Business over big box store and keep them open!
I’m wondering how she’s really working for? Corporate America! Don’t understand state park closers. And lakes!
No Boating???
RV, Boating , camping you have your own area your own bathroom!
Taking our choices away of where we shop….. Is so very anti-American!
If you just follow The CDC guide lines we would be fine
Where did The CDC say shut all business down! Vote her out! She part of the New World Order!

Michele Lujan Grisham has without a doubt overstepped her authority. She never once looked at the “commen sense” of the situation. Instead she choose to use the “F.I.A.T. method. She want it to be a one size fits all scenario. She did not discuss her intended actions with various community leaders. She indeed has her own agenda and she could careless about anyone else’s input. She’s sorry excuse for leadership.

The governor has too much liberal power! Pawn shops, gun shops, liquor stores should be open! People listening to messages from their pastors and are sitting in their cars in the church parking lots should be left alone and not ticketed! Stop using the state police as your personal slaves!

All businesses should be open just limit the the number of people allowed in at one time. Alot of small business will not recover and will have to close permanently. My husband was laid off 3-15-20, applied for unemployment and has not received payment yet. I am grateful I am considered essential worker or we would lose our home and vehicles. If this goes on any longer, crime will increase tremendously!

Restaurants could operate with reasonable distancing and require hand sanitizing for customers as they enter. No more than 4 tops. No big private parties. Would work very well in low volume restaurants. Same with higher volume but good management and some limits to customers. They could open earlier and take strict reservations. No walkins if they are busy.

Open all these ASAP. The numbers of death do not justify the extreme measures we have experienced. Someone needs to get the percentage of cases against the population, then the death rate versus recovery rate.

There are so many inconsistencies in all of this I see it as an infringement on freedom. I get the fear of Covid-19. However, common sense should win the day. Not much of Gov MLG’s rules appear to have any sense.

*Keep medical clinics open and allow medical procedures that are necessary. *Keep parks open. People need to get out in sunshine. It’s good for physical and mental health to get out and exercise Some families don’t have yards for children to play in. There are plenty of tattletales out there to report if groups are too large. *Open golf courses. They can make limits on how many on course as well size of groups. “I believe churches should remain closed for now. But if they need more than 5 people to have a live stream or on line meetings, there should be an exception for that. *Restaurants are probably much cleaner and sanitary than big box stores. I believe that can be said for many small businesses of all types. *As far as. Liquor stores, I feel we have too many in New Mexico as it is, but they too are probably cleaner than the big box stores. I went to get a few groceries the other day. Mask on and sanitizer handy. I could not believe how many people were filling up their carts with booze. I’m sure the governor isn’t going without hers. Liquor stores should be opened. Limit how many come in and spaced safely apart. *Garden Centers!!! Really!!!! They can limit how many come in and keep a safe distance. I know many people are working in their yards during this difficult time. Some are planting vegetable gardens to help feed their families. Again, fresh air, mental and physical well being. *I don’t know where these arbitrary decisions are coming from, but I feel they are being made in haste, without thinking about the consequences.

You guys are pretty much on target here. What Lujan has over everyone else in the state however, is absolute power. And absolute corruption.
She’s not afraid of anyone in NM.
She doesn’t shop for food, she doesn’t buy guns, she doesn’t buy liquor, she doesn’t get her hair cut, she doesn’t drive, somebody that WE PAY for does all that for her.
She doesn’t lose any money, she still makes 14k a month. She damn sure doesn’t fish or play golf.
She lives in a bubble that has inflated her ego and narcissism to ridiculous levels.
And there is nothing anyone will do about it except write an opinion.

MLG. Does she not have to answer to anyone. She should not have th4 power to say and do as she pleases. Make her accountable and let’s take action to get these things done you listed. You have most of NM support. She is not God and should not be Apple to dictate and controls us Please take action against her and let’s get these things reopened. We thank you and support you

This social distancing is so ridiculous! These models from the professionals included social distancing has been way off the marker, and still we have all these regulations in place? Wear a mask don’t wear a mask??? 6 feet now 13 feet distancing??? You guys have no idea what you are doing and now you have ruined our economy!

I understand why you feel as you do but I think the reason for the rules outweighs the inconvenience. The number of cases continues to rise, even with the restrictions, so we need to take every precaution we can. We have become so accustomed to instant gratification that we rebel against anything that interferes. What we are going through right now doesn’t compare to the sacrifice made by millions who made it possible for us to have the freedom we take for granted. So, suck it up, Buttercup, face the fact that life isn’t fair and be grateful for what you have!

These should all be retracted. Also open up Butterfield range in Las Cruces. There are rarely more than two or three people practice shooting at once. This is a great place for Families to go out and practice their 4-H shooting skills.

Draconian measures demanded by the Governor are a result of her need for more control and power over New Mexicans. These closures were not made with any element of logic. Americans are losing freedoms and liberties that were won at a great price. Despots control the populace through fear. What we should really fear is the loss of our American way of life. There will always be challenges and sometimes horrifying and deadly but Americans should look to see who is the real enemy here.

Why not small independent retail stores? Most have limited numbers of customers in their operations at any one time as a matter of course…they to could institute social distancing protocols. This represents a substantial number of businesses all over the state! These businesses have never presented a health problem any different than a grocery store, or hardware store, or feed store. If you can sit in a restaurant observing social distancing, why not a retail store? …so why should they remained closed?

Total over reach by the governor. Folks can’t see their physician, can’t get out to State Parks where we would have the ultimate social distancing, liquor stores with few customers to begin with… I understand we can’t have everything “open”, but total closure with what she has considered non-essential is out of line with reality.

This has gone too far. A lot of business owners are on the cusp of having to lock their doors period. Our governor is not thinking about any thing to do with New Mexico economy or it’s citizens. Instead of shutting everything down, do things with moderation. A few times out, I have seen construction, yard and house repairs, and drilling rigs. So the industries that can stay in the shadows are working and everyone else is being penalized. Not fair!

Just about everyone that posted here is for the re-election of a president who is largely responsible for the spread of the Coronavirus by his inaction and by playing down its effects.
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham , D-NM. would not have had to order shutdowns if the “look what I did” incompetent President caused.
The entire country is in the same quandary. Face it. Send your negative comments to the person who earned them. “I’m for the 1%” DT.( Delirious Tremens)-
R.

Wow! I hate to point out that it was that president our President Trump who tried to stop Chinese travel into our country in January and you screaming ninnies cried about Zenophobia!
Gov Lujan is a crazed power hungry maniac who clearly has never been out of Albuquerque/Santa Fe !
Can you afford for this to continue? I can’t!

For starters our think tank spends a vast majority of our time on state/local New Mexico policy. Secondly, most nations have shut down (rightly or wrongly). I’m not sure how Trump’s decisions differed from those of other nations. I prefer the path chosen by Sweden.